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Don't Feed The Trolls
September 20, 2011
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... And Other One-Liners From The 2011 NAB Radio Show
When the NAB/RAB invited me to help design a couple of panels for the 2011 Radio Show revolving around the role of social media for radio today, I was excited to be a part of this ongoing discussion that is needed in our industry. With more and more people using social media and digital platforms, it’s not enough to just get on Facebook, create a blog, or text about the next big contest. It’s about meeting what consumers expect from you as you try to reach them on their “turf.”
While each panel was an hour long, and “you had to be there,” here are the highlights:
(Pictured from left to right: Bill Weston, WMMR/Philadelphia; Charli McKenzie, WNCY/Green Bay, Lori Lewis, Jacobs Media; and B.J. Shea, KISW/Seattle)
“R U A Social Misfit?”
For many, including Bill Weston, there’s a lot riding on keeping the ratings up, the talent inspired, and maintaining a strong relationship with sales. Yet, even with all of today’s demands, Bill identified the benefits of social and digital, and recognized people within the building that could assist him.
“Appoint a ‘Social Media Captain’ who can write in the tone/personality of your brand/station.”
Bill works closely with his social team to make sure WMMR never falls into a self-indulgent brand that consumers are growing weary of.
B.J. Shea gave great advice about dealing with negative people who try to “pick fights” with you online.
“Don’t feed the trolls.”
B.J. said it was Will Wheaton who taught him about how to handle the inevitable negative comments and antagonists.
“Negative people are simply seeking attention. Move on and odds are your fans will defend you.”
Charli McKenzie discussed how Facebook is a gift for radio to showcase its website content.
“Use Facebook as a gateway to pull people to your blog on your website.”
Charli touched on the dangers of being a “pitch man” for your station on Facebook. People are there to connect, not have “caller 10” moments.
B.J. Shea also brought up the opportunities that exist with mobile apps. He was so serious about mobile that he noted he was willing to shell out his own money in order to buy one.
B.J. said, “You also have a responsibility to invest in your brand; you can’t leave it to the company alone.” When management saw his enthusiasm for how he might use an app to leverage mind share, Entercom invested in apps for the station and others in the company.
“Build Your Community Before You Need It”
This panel was moderated by AllAccess President Joel Denver. It included superstar Phil Hendrie, B96’s great morning duo Julian Hieh and J Niice, and the world-famous Bubba The Love Sponge.
Phil leverages his digital and social assets to monetize his traditional channel:
“The problem is not with on-air talent but in sales. PhilHendrieShow.com makes more money than my radio show sells in traditional advertising.”
Julian and J from B96/Chicago, the new guys on the panel, spoke about using content: "(It’s) all about relatability ... that's how we build our community.”
When the topic of negative comments came up, J Niice said they are sensitive to their 18-34 female core and will not engage in negativity on their website or on Facebook.
Bubba the Love Sponge, on the other hand, takes the opposite approach: “I’ll fight ‘em.”
Bubba’s radio persona is confrontational by nature, as he pointed out, “I’ll tweet back or Facebook negative, angry people and say ‘Let’s go.’”
A very funny moment occurred when Bubba added, “That’s my role, to fight back. Know your role when building and maintaining your community.”
“Know your role” is one of the many things Bubba taught me when we worked together on WXTB/98Rock in Tampa many years ago. Here’s something I found, one Bubba’s CD covers from back in the day. Yes, that’s me in the tight purple shirt as “Anita Wadd.”
I pulled that out because one of the benefits of these radio conferences is that we get to re-connect with people we don’t get to see face-to-face every day. Thanks to the Radio Show last week, here’s Bubba and me reuniting, 10 years later:
Beyond the important takeaways these conferences offer, there’s no price tag for the connection we have with one another.
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